Authority approves 90-acre donation on Jamans Gap Road near Crozet

The Albemarle County Conservation Easement Authority approved acceptance of a roughly 90-acre donation located on Jamans Gap Road west of Crozet, authority staff said. Staff recommended approval after describing natural resources and proposed easement terms.

Staff described the property as approximately 90 acres and said the proposal would permit no more than two separate ownerships with a minimum lot size of 45 acres. Staff said the property includes roughly six potential dwellings under current entitlement calculations, about 1,500 feet of live hardwood stream frontage and roughly 70 acres of 100-year floodplain; the property also overlaps important agricultural soils and shares boundary with existing conservation easements. Staff noted the property sits in the rural area outside the county growth-area boundary.

The proposed easement terms would limit buildings to 6,500 square feet of living space per ownership (spread between up to two dwellings), prohibit structures over 500 square feet within 500 feet of Jamans Gap Road, and establish a 35-foot buffer on Lickinghole Creek and buffer protections for ponds and a wetland. The easement would bar parking-area expansion without authority approval and preserve existing small structures where identified.

An authority member moved to approve the donation; another seconded, and the motion passed on a voice vote. The transcript records no roll-call tally. Staff will complete deed language and recording steps following standard procedures.